BAHA-16 Response Accepted

Death in Custody Checklist

Recommendation

JDP 1-10 should include a simple checklist for actions on a death in custody. Where there is a death in custody, particularly one that is sudden or unexplained, prompt checks must be made on the welfare of other CPErS. The MoD should consider including guidance that where practicable the scene of the death should be preserved pending the arrival of the Royal Military Police.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- The Defence Secretary stated on 8 September 2011 that the government accepted this recommendation and stated that a death in custody checklist had been developed, including scene preservation guidance (Government Response to the Baha Mousa Inquiry, Ministry of Defence, September 2011).
- Joint Doctrine Publication 1-10 (Captured Persons) was first published on 1 October 2011, shortly after the Baha Mousa Inquiry report (8 September 2011), and has since been updated to a Fourth Edition published 28 September 2020, incorporating lessons from the Baha Mousa and Al-Sweady inquiries as well as Supreme Court judgments (JDP 1-10, Fourth Edition, Ministry of Defence, September 2020).
Sources
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Claude (Anthropic) on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
Jurisdiction
UK-wide
Response
Accepted
Accepted Ministry of Defence
08 Sep 2011

Accepted. A death in custody checklist has been developed, including scene preservation guidance.

Read Full Response
Source
Inquiry Baha Mousa Inquiry
Report The Report of the Baha Mousa Inquiry - Volume III 08 Sep 2011
View Source
Responsible Bodies
Ministry of Defence Primary
Themes & Tags
Emergency family notification Mentally unwell prisoner support Death in Custody Checklist Investigation
Recommendation age 14.7 yrs
Last formal update 5013 days ago